RANSOM DEMANDED

Evening Star, Issue 22892, 25 February 1938, Page 9

RANSOM DEMANDED

FIRST KIDNAPPING IN HEW SOUTH WALES SON OF CINEMA OPERATOR, SYDNEY, February 24. Detectives are investigating the kidnapping, the first of its kind in New South Wales, of the infant son of Ronald Bowles, cinema operator, who was taken from his father’s car this morning at Narrabeen, a seaside village 10 miles north of Sydney. The kidnapper is reported to have telephoned the father demanding ransom of £3OO and assuring the father his son was unharmed.

BOY THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED.

SYDNEY, February 25. (Received February 25, at 11.35 a.m.) The baby is Philip Powles, aged two and a-half years. The father was warned by telephone: “Don’t make contact with the police or yon might not see your son.” Late last night, however’, a report was received from a man that he had seen a boy answering the description of Philip about 5.30 last evening wandering near the Elanora Heights, 'about two miles from Narrabeen. The police believe that the kidnapper became frightened and abandoned the boy. A large party of police searched the area all night, but up to early wiis morning no trace of the child had been found. BOY FOUND UNHARMED SYDNEY, February 25. (Received February l 25, at 1 p.m.) Philip Powles was found this morning at a private school near Narrabeen, where he had spent the night. Late yesterday afternoon an unknown man handed the boy to the conductor of a motor bus which passes the school and asked that he should be left there. The nurse at the school received a telephone message that the hoy was on his way. She thought that the principal had arranged the matter and took the boy in.’ She did not know until this morning that the boy had been kidnapped.